Has anyone tried this as a short vacation to Russia?.... Perhaps I should just visit Japan again - that was a cheap 200,000 won round trip ferry ride too... but Russia would be a new experience for me. I hear horror stories of rude crowded China vacations so I am not sure I want to see the Great Wall in the summer. I have never been to Russia and it looks to be just as cheap as China... although I have yet to check the visa... If anyone has some great ideas or experiences let me know...

The main issue here is the visa. Russian visas, even for tourists, are NOT easy to get. And if you [like me] are American, it's even worse. There's a whole bunch of hoops to jump through, you have to get an 'introduction' first and the fee is high as usual, and there's a decent amount of waiting on top of this [I think 2 weeks is pretty standard].

I would like to see it myself, but I'm not sure I'm willing to lay out the fees they demand just for that. ESPECIALLY if it's just a 'short' trip. Like the big China fees, better to see a decent amount of stuff for your money, not just one smallish place, Pacific Fleet or no.

As for China's crowds, I personally plan to do the Wall and the Temple of Heaven and the Warriors [i.e., all the big touristy stuff] during the earlier parts of the so-called Golden Autumn after I finish my new contract. Use China to wash Korea out of my system once and for all.

Under Russian law, every foreign traveler must have a Russian-based sponsor, which could be a hotel, tour company, relative, employer, university, etc. Even if you obtained your visa through a travel agency in the United States, there is still a Russian legal entity whose name is indicated on your visa and who is considered to be your legal sponsor

International Cruise Ship/Ferry Passengers: You are permitted to visit Russian ports without a visa for a period of up to 72 hours. If you wish to go ashore during port calls you may do so without visas, provided that you are with an organized tour at all times and accompanied by a tour operator who has been duly licensed by Russian authorities.

SOunds to me like a total rip off - you pay a fat cat tour company to be your sponsor they in turn demand you give them a pile of cash for some overpriced tour .... that is sooo dumb -- Now I could be wrong there maybe some tour company out there that puts you in cheap hostels but it sounds to me like you will have to shovel out a load of cash to do a tour with meals and stays that you might not choose...

So you are correct on that Modernist - in the Pre-Modern world the Grand Le Tour was much better I'd guess.... looks like I may just do a China wall tour or maybe just take the ferry to Japan and climb fuji or go North to the forest Island that is warm enough in the summer --- you would have to pay me to go stay in an Ice House there...